10 Great Landmarks and Attractions to visit in New York

Tickets to the main viewing deck will cost you $86, with additional options if you want to ride up to the observatory on the 102nd floor. With around 4 million visitors per year, it may also be a good idea to buy online beforehand to beat the queues.

Grand Central Station – The main concourse of Grand Central Station, situated on 42nd Street, is a sight not to be missed. This famous railway terminal also holds one of the world’s most famous meeting points under the four-sided clock, as well as golden chandeliers, truly grand staircases and incredible natural-light effects. The ceiling arch soars 125 feet above you and is well worth a look for the stunning Sky Ceiling mural by Paul Helleu.

The terminal’s story began back in 1869 when Cornelius Vanderbilt bought the property and the building was first constructed as a comparatively modest three-track rail depot. It only became New York’s major station in 1913 when the newly renovated Grand Central Terminal was born. Today it sees an influx of both passengers and tourists in their millions and is one of the great free attractions of the city.

Museum of Modern Art – To find a culture fix that will keep you going all day, the city’s Museum of Modern Art is home to international works of art spanning three centuries. Originally an educational facility built in 1929 between Fifth and Sixth Street, the present building dates back a mere 11 years, when it was redesigned by Yoshio Taniguchi.

Once inside, an admission price of $25 will buy you five floors of sculptures, paintings and conceptual art, as well as special exhibitions and gallery tours. See works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol and Pollock, to name only a few and don’t miss the outdoor installations in the Abby Aldrich Sculpture Garden.

Statue of Liberty – A trip to New York wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Statue of Liberty. Take the ferry from Battery Park City harbour out to Liberty Island and join the thousands who make the trip every day. The statue was given to the U.S. by the French people as a symbol of friendship and its construction began in France back in 1876.

Ten years later it was shipped across the Atlantic, reassembled and dedicated in a ceremony on the island and given national-monument status in 1924. Renovated in the eighties, the copper statue still retains the natural green oxide coating that is now part of its iconic appeal.

Brooklyn Bridge – Brooklyn Bridge offers unparalleled opportunities to photograph some of the most famous sights of the city, as well as being a dramatic sight in itself. A 20-minute walk across the East River from Brooklyn City Hall in Manhattan will allow you to see the New York skyline at its best. Completed in 1883, it has a venerable history as one of the oldest suspension bridges in America. And at just over a mile long, it is crossed by 4,000 pedestrians a day.

Ground Zero Museum Workshop – One of the more sobering, but no less essential sights is the Ground Zero Museum Workshop in New York’s meatpacking district. To see inside what’s known as ‘the Biggest Little Museum in New York’, you need a ticket which costs around $25. The museum houses moving and insightful photographs, accounts and artefacts from both the 9/11 disaster and the rescue effort.

This not-for-profit organisation was established when official Ground Zero photographer Marlon Suson began his work to document the recovery process in 2001. The actual 9/11 memorial requires a visitor pass and is located at the site of the World Trade Centre on the corner of Albany and Greenwich Streets.

Museum of Natural History – For an awe-inspiring glimpse into the past, the Museum of Natural History should certainly be on anyone’s list of things to do. Located on the west side of Central Park, this stalwart of any New York trip is as famed for its pillared frontage as it is for its dinosaur skeletons. For a standard price of $19, visitors can also explore the origin of the human species, see a model of a 94-foot blue whale or be dazzled by the extensive collection of rare gems and fossils. It’s been an institution since 1869 and is still one of the largest of its kind in the world, drawing about five million visitors annually.

The Rockefeller Centre – The Rockefeller Centre contains a vast underground shopping mall and is also a triumph of modern architecture and philanthropy. It was conceived during the 1930s and christened a ‘city within a city’. It created employment for over 40,000 people during the years of the Great Depression. Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan is home to a multitude of buildings, artworks and open spaces and you can take a guided tour of the most notable for $15 and buy incredible panoramic view from the ‘Top of the Rock’ for $25. Or just indulge in one of the world’s best shopping and dining experiences in the underground concourse.

Times Square – Times Square is famed across the globe for its magnificent New Year celebrations and its year-round LED displays. The plaza got its name at the beginning of the 20th century when the New York Times constructed its new building on 43rd Street. Today, this is the image of New York that best sums up the bright allure of the city. It is a place for performers, from the musical stars of Broadway to world-renowned comedians.

Central Park – You can always take a break from all the sightseeing in the welcome expanse of greenery that is Central Park. Created in 1853 as America’s first landscaped public park, it stretches over 843 acres from 59th Street in the north to 110 Street in the south and is enjoyed by an incredible 38 million people every year.